Aqueous process for preparing pseudoureas and acid salts thereof



United States Patent 3,551,489 AQUEOUS PROCESS FOR PREPARING PSEUDO- UREAS AND ACID SALTS THEREOF Frederic Charles Schaefer, Darien, Conn., and William Douglas Zimmermann, New York, N.Y., assignors to American Cyanamid Company, Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Maine No Drawing. Filed Jan. 16, 1968, Ser. No. 698,122 Int. Cl. C07c 123/00 US. Cl. 260-564 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Pseudourea salts of the formula:

where R is derived from an organic alcohol as defined in (c) below and X is HCl or HBr, are prepared by bringing into contact in an aqueous environment containing substantial amounts of water: i

(a) an acid, X, as defined above,

(b) a cyanamide compound and,

(c) a monohydric organic alcohol having at least partial miscibility with water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention Pseudoureas, and acid salts thereof, and process for their preparation in aqueous medium.

(2) Description of the prior art Alkyl pseudourea acid salts of the formula:

where R may represent a variety of organic groupings and X is a strong inorganic acid such as hydrochloric or hydrobromic are conventionally prepared by reacting an appropriate organic alcohol with cyanamide in the presence of an acid catalyst X, according to the following reaction:

Prior art teachings have continually emphasized the need for carrying out this reaction under strictly anhydrous conditions in order to avoid the hitherto known rapid hydrolysis of cyanamide to urea which occurs in the presence of an aqueous acidic medium. Such hydrolysis consumes cyanamide on an equimolar basis until all of the water is itself consumed. The teaching of the prior art in this regard is amply demonstrated by reference to Organic Synthesis, collective vol. IV, pp. 645- 648 (1963) and to a recent publication by Kawano et al. (J. Org. Chem. Soc. Japan, 24 pp. 955957 (1966) These two references in calling for anhydrous reactants and anhydrous reaction conditions are merely recent repetitions of what the prior art has urged for years.

The need for anhydrous conditions creates several problems. It necessitates using anhydrous reactants such as, for example, anhydrous cyanamide, anhydrous hydrogen chloride, a frequently used acid catalyst, and anhydrous methanol, a common reactant alcohol. The anhydrous reagents are generally more expensive than their hydrous counterparts. Furthermore, the need for strictly anhydrous Patented Dec. 29, 1970 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a process for preparing pseudourea acid salts in an aqueous environment. More particularly, it relates to a method of preparing the salts in appreciable yield by reacting a monohydric organic alcohol, a cyanamide compound, and a strongly acidic inorganic acid such as hydrochloric or hydrobromic in an environment containing substantial amounts of water. By substantial amounts of water is meant that the reaction mixture contains at least about one mole of water for every mole of cyanamide, an amount of water ordinarily sufficient to hydrolyze all of the cyanamide.

According to the process of this invention, ample yields of pseudourea salts are unexpectedly produced despite the presence in the reaction mixture of sufiicient water to hydrolyze all of the cyanamide present therein. Surprisingly, the hydrolysis of cyanamide known to occur in an acidic aqueous medium fails to occur in any appreciable amount when the aqueous acidic medium also contains a monohydric organic alcohol despite the presence of huge molar excesses of water to cyanamide in the reaction mixture. Thus, 90% yields of O-methyl pseudourea, for example, are obtainable in reaction mixtures containing as many as 5.8 moles of water per mole of cyanamide. Furthermore, such reaction mixtures contained up to 21% water, clearly indicating that substantial yields of pseudourea salts are obtainable without employing the anhydrous reaction conditions of the prior art.

Pseudourea yields obtainable by the process of this invention are responsive to variations in the mole ratio of reactant alcohol to water. This mole ratio, as used herein, refers to the mole ratio in the aqueous phase of the reaction mixture and not necessarily to the mole ratio in the entire reaction mixture. Generally, product yields will increase as the mole ratio of alcohol to water increases. Suitable results are usually obtainable when mole ratios of about 0.8 or higher are employed, with a range of from about 0.8 to about 3 representing preferred mole ratio values.

An aqueous reaction environment may arise in a variety of ways such as, for example, by the use of aqueous acid solutions or aqueous cyanamide solutions as reactants. The water content of the reaction environment may rise to appreciable levels in the practice of the invention without significant adverse effect on product yields or cyanamide hydrolysis provided the mole ratio of alcohol to water is properly adjusted to compensate for the water content of the aqueous phase of the reaction mixture.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a process to produce pseudourea acid salts in appreciable yields by the acid catalyzed reaction of a cyanamide compound and a monohydric organic alcohol in a reaction environment containing substantial amounts of water.

It is another object of this invention to eliminate the expensive anhydrous reactants ordinarily employed to synthesize pseudourea salts and further to eliminate processing difiiculties arising from the hitherto required use of anhydrous reactants and strictly anhydrous process conditions.

It is a still further object of this invention to reduce the manufacturing cost of pseudourea salts and correspondingly the manufacturing cost of various products for which the salts are suitable intermediates.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from a total reading of this specification.

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Since product yields according to the inventive process may be increased by increasing the alcohol to water mole 4 Reaction pressure and temperature are not considered to be critical. A temperature range of about 20l00 C. is quite suitable with temperatures of about 70-95 C. and atmospheric pressure representing preferred reaction conditions. The pseudourea acid salts may be readily conmtlo it becpmes Important to fetal ap preclap 16 3 5 verted to the corresponding pseudourea by reaction with of alcohol In the aqueous phase of the reaction mixture. a suitable base Such as Sodium hydroxide potassium The more miscible an alcohol is with Water, the greater droxide or the like using known techniques the ratio of .alcohol.tq Waiter obtamable the aqueous Pseudoureas and their acid salts are well known interphase To IS hfghly preferred m carrymg mediates for preparing a host of substituted s-triazines the process of this invention to employ alcohols of high according to the teachings of Us. Pat 3,203,550 The mlscllillity Wlth Water Such as anyl alcohol and alkanols s-triazines are useful as agricultural biocides, surface accontammg from one to three carbon atoms .Such tive compounds, dye intermediates, pharmaceutical interexample 9 ethanol. n'pmpanol lsopropano mediates, and the like, as pointed out in the above cited F i a Pamcularly sultabie alcohol when Such patent. The pseudoureas find further utility as intermedimls.clble i p are the higher alcohol Water ates in the preparation of herbicidally active acyl derivaranos ordmimly conducive to hlgh. product ylekls tives of pseudoureas according to the teaching of US. readily obtained. Other alcohols which are less miscible Pat 2 780 The pseudoureas are also used as inter th.an.thOSe.menUOned above or which are only .pa rt1any mediates in the synthesis of certain useful pyrimidines as miscible with water are, of course, included within the 20 shown in Us Pat 2 779 669 scope of the invention provided their miscibility with The following nonlimifing examples are provided to water is sufiicent to achieve a suitable alcohol to water further illustrate the invention. ratio.

Although increasing the mole ratio of alcohol to water EXAMPLE 1 increases the yield of pseudourea salt, it s preferable Preparation f oqnethyl pseudourea hydrochloride from a practical viewpoint to employ the minimal amount NH of alcohol required to produce the desired yield of pseudowater urea salt. For example, there are limitations on higher C tOII+NHtCN+TIC1 CII3 0 C -IIC1 ratio values dictated by such considerations as reactor size and alcohol recovery costs. It IS difficult to precisely fix Concentrated hydrochloric acid (833 12 N acid; a range of operable mole ratios of alcohol to water since 10 mole) is added in 15 30 minutes to a solution of 1.0 the ratio will vary depending on a variety of factors such mole of 50% aqueous cyanamide (84 g.) in 400 of as the particular alcohol employed, the nature of the acid, methanol (9.87 moles) The reaction mixture now com the desired yield and economic factors. However, best retains 209% water (5.8 moles) The temperature rises sulis are generally obtamed (when alcohol to Water mole spontaneously to near the boiling point during this addiranos of at least about are T Y To @duce h tion. The solution is held an additional 30 minutes at amount of alcohol required to maintain the desired ratio about 700 it is then evaporated essentially to dryness value 15 Often desirable. when addmg t acld and at reduced pressure and at temperatures below 50 C. The cyanamlde aqueous splutlons to use as hlghly Concen largely crystallized residue is extracted with a small solutlon? as posslble 4O amount of acetone which leaves substantially pure 0- It Convement one mole of cyanamide methylpseudourea hydrochloride undissolved, melting for each mole of acid Wlth a slight excess of cyanamide Point 0 c. Yield preferred. The excess assures substantially complete usage If the Water conentmfion in the reaction mixture of of the acid in the pseudourea salt, leaving no acid availthe preceding example is reduced from 209% (is able an and Salt of any Whlch may be moles) to 13.7% (3.47 moles) by using 100% cyanamide duce'd m mmor amounts m reaction of the cyanamlde instead of a aqueous cyanamide solution, the averand water. Certain urea acid salts such as urea hydroage yield is increased to chloride are difficult to separate from the pseudourea salt product and the prevention of their formation is an ad- EXAMPLES 2 THROUGH 5 vafltage- The eXceSS y f i also compensates 50 Following the general procedure of Example 1, a varimlnor amQUntS 0f cyanafnlde Whlch y y y ety of pseudourea salts was prepared using hydrochloric cyanamldet g IS the prfifeffed cyanamlde acid as the catalyst and different alcohols and reaction Pound, alka'll metal or alkaline earth metal Salts of conditions. Upon completion of the reaction, the solucyanamlde y also be p y alone of In admlfitllfe tion is evaporated to leave a crude syrup. Aqueous sodiof twoflr morem Salts y be mefltloned um picrate solution is added to the syrup at room temthe Sodium, potassium, or calcium salts h as C NCN, perature with agitation to precipitate the picrate salt of Ca(HNCN) NaHNCN, or Na NCN. When a salt such the pseudourea. The salt is then filtered and washed. Reas CaNCN is employed in place of cyanamide, three sults are summarized in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Percent Moles Moles water in alcoliol/ alcoliol/ Melting Temp, reaction moles moles Product, hydrochloride Yield, point, Alcohol Oyaiiainide C. mixture cyanamide water salt of percent 0.

Example:

2 Is0pr0pyl 100% 13.7 5.2 1.5 O-isopi'opyl pseudourea... 38 149450 3.... ls0propy1 50% aqueous solutioii 85 21 5.2 1.1 ..do 29 149-150 4 ii-Propyl 50%aqueous solution" 21 5. 36 .93 O-ii-pi'opyl pscudouiea 57 158-160 5 Allyl 50% aqueous solution" 85 20 5.9 1.02 O-allyl pseudourea 25 158-160 1 Of picrate salt.

moles of a mono basic reactive acid such as hydrochloric We claim: or hydrobromic will be required to provide an equivalent 70 1. A process for preparing pseudourea salts of the of the acid for reaction with the cyanamide compound since two moles of the acid will be consumed in the neutralization of the cyanamide salt. In similar fashion, two moles of acid will be required when NaHNCN is employed.

formula:

wherein R is selected from the group consisting of alkyl containing from one to three carbon atoms and allyl and X is an acid as defined below, which comprises bringing into contact:

(a) an acid, X, selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric and hydrobromic;

(b) a cyanamide compound selected from the group consisting of cyanamide, alkali metal salts of cyanamide, and alkaline earth metal salts of cyanamide;

(c) water in amount suflicient to provide at least one mole of water for each mole of cyanamide in solution; and

(d) a monhydric organic alcohol of the formula ROH wherein R is defined above.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the mole ratio of alcohol to water in the aqueous phase of the reaction mixture is about 0.8 to about 3.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein at least about one mole of cyanamide (H NCN) is used per mole of acid used.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the acid is hydrochloric.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the alcohol is methanol.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1936 Battegay 260125 8/1958 Searle 71-2.6

OTHER REFERENCES Migrdichian, Organic Synthesis, vol I, pp. 436-37 (1957).

BERNARD HELFIN, Primary Examiner G. A. SCHWARTZ, Assistant Examiner 

